Individuals engaging in team or individual sports frequently use protective headgear or eyewear to reduce the likelihood of injury. Some well known examples of such protective headgear include baseball or softball catcher's masks, and helmets with and without face shields such as helmets adapted for use in baseball, softball, snowboarding, hockey, and football. Other recreational and athletic activities in which protective headgear is common include boxing, cycling, rock climbing as well as motorized recreational activities such as motorcycling and dirt biking. In some activities, protective headgear is viewed as unnecessary and protective eyewear is used. Typical activities in which protective eyewear is used include basketball, shooting, and squash. Similar protective equipment is often used in other activities as well. For example, welding masks and goggles are in widespread use, and helmets are often used by workers in construction and law enforcement. In addition, protective gear is in common use by military personnel.
While protective gear is effective is reducing both the number and severity of injuries, most wearers would prefer to do without. Protective gear is often viewed by its wearers as uncomfortable and cumbersome. In addition, many users of protective gear believe that their vision is diminished, because the user must often look through a protective mesh or shield, or a portion of the user's field of view is completely blocked by the protective gear. Thus, individuals typically use protective gear reluctantly, and in some cases, user performance at athletic, industrial, military, or other tasks can be noticeably degraded.
In view of these and other shortcomings, improved protective gear and methods for making such gear are needed.